Maisonneuve Public Library

Winner of the multidisciplinary architectural competition for the extension of the Maisonneuve Public Library, civiliti is responsible for the urban design and landscaping of the site. The urban project highlights the architectural heritage of the City of Maisonneuve’s former city hall, recalls the unique urban heritage of this former industrial town, and reinforces the resolutely contemporary gestures of the new library.

Halfway between Place Gennevilliers-Laliberté (Marché Maisonneuve) and Place Simon-Valois, the site’s urban and landscaping design offers a new urban piece. The boundaries between the public realm and the forecourt are erased to create an enlarged, unified urban plan for the new institution, with distinct vegetated environments at the various public access points. Paving stones, stone furniture and atmospheric steel retaining walls create a familiar urban language. The proposal includes the urban spaces adjacent to the library and Maison de la culture Maisonneuve, marking this cultural hub as an important and accessible public space on Ontario Street.